Got stuck in Bali for 3 days because of a visa mistake I keep making

I was in Canggu last month (beautiful place but the traffic is wild) and my visa run went wrong. I had 30 days on arrival but forgot I extended it once before, so I overstayed by 2 days. The fine was 1 million IDR per day - that's about $65 total. Now I set a calendar reminder 7 days before every visa expires in every country I visit. Does anyone have a better system for tracking visa dates across multiple passports?

2 comments

2 Comments

mason_jackson23d ago

Read this one article from a travel hacker who uses a color coded excel sheet with all his passport stamps documented. He cross references it against the visa waiver lists for every country he visits. Dude claimed it saved him from overstaying in Thailand by 3 weeks once. Might be overkill but honestly after hearing your story the extra 10 minutes a month sounds worth it.

jessicaw1123d agoMost Upvoted

Oh man, "color coded excel sheet" is exactly the kind of thing I'd try and then mess up immediately. I'd probably spend an hour picking the perfect shade of green for "visa-free entry" and forget to actually enter the stamp dates. But honestly, the thought of accidentally overstaying by three weeks is terrifying. I can barely keep track of my library card due date, let alone a passport expiration. Maybe I should just stick a sticky note on my forehead that says "LEAVE BEFORE JULY 15.